1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to so called “cantilevered” rolling mills, where the work rolls are mounted in an overhung fashion on the ends of roll shafts which protrude from housings containing the shaft bearings, gears, roll parting adjustment mechanisms, etc. The invention is concerned in particular with an improved seal assembly for preventing leakage of lubricants from such housings and for preventing ingress of external contaminants, e.g., cooling water and entrained dirt, mill scale, etc.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,987 (Woodrow), known seal assemblies typically employ fixed dual lip seals in contact with the adjacent surfaces of flingers mounted on the rotating roll shafts. Such arrangements suffer from several drawbacks, including leakage resulting from rapid wear and thermal degradation of the seal lips, and an inability to self compensate for misalignments between rotating and stationary components resulting from bearing clearances and load induced shaft deflections.